Biologist Kinji Imanishi says, "Nature is complete, so it doesn't change suddenly."

Chinese ceramics are characterized by their symmetrical and perfected beauty, while Korean ceramics are said to embody an imperfect beauty.

Japanese pottery lies on the line of its imperfect beauty, but after reading Imanishi's "My View of Nature," I realized it represents the perfected beauty of nature.

Without even needing to mention the phases of the moon, the beauty of nature, in whatever form it takes, is dignified and majestic.

Perhaps it's because it's a naturally perfected form.

Shuusaku IchinoThe "Tamba Ash Glazed Tea Bowl" is made using coarse, sandy raw clay from Tamba, and shaped using the carving technique.

By spraying straw ash and ash glaze onto the clay and firing it in a wood-fired kiln for three days and four nights, a magnificent landscape is created by the interplay of the clay surface and the glaze, brought about by the natural glaze.

Both the view from the outskirts and the view from the hilltop are captivating.

Shinsui IchinoThis "Pull-out Black Tea Bowl" is made from Kamogawa stone (a reddish-brown stone rich in iron, collected from the upper reaches of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto, and used as a raw material for black raku ware), and was pulled out during firing in a small charcoal kiln.

The brushstrokes left by the application of the glaze are also interesting, and the shoe-shaped tea bowl fits perfectly in the palm of your hand.

Masahiko IchinoFor them, soil is not merely a material; it is a place where a long period of time in their lives has accumulated, and invisible memories have taken shape.

By baking it repeatedly, layers with a natural expression that transcends artificiality are created.

The layers of the artwork bear the marks of Ichino's life, fifteen years after his serious illness.

Masahiko ImanishiThe "Black Tanba Carved Tea Bowl" is a tea bowl made by combining mountain soil and sandy soil and shaping it using the carving technique.

Its bold design is inspired by the stone walls of a mountain castle with ancient kiln ruins.

Sometimes, when I look at the stone walls of an old castle, I think of them as works of art.

This masterpiece was born from Imanishi's delicate sensibility.

Masafumi OonishiThe "Red Tanba Ship Sake Bottle" is a replica of a ship sake bottle from the Edo period. After shaping, pigment is applied, and it is fired using bamboo. The effect of the bamboo ash creates the natural look seen on the front and the reddish look seen on the back.

This marks the birth of the unprecedented red Tanba granite.

Keiichi ShimizuThe "Tamba Hananoutsuwa" is a flower vase whose shape, which curves in all directions, is formed by hand-molding.

Despite its unbalanced appearance, it is finished in a stable form, so its expression changes depending on the viewing angle.

This is a powerful work that expresses the strength of Tamba clay through a unique sculptural form.

Takeshi ShimizuThe "Shiogama Tea Bowl" is a tea bowl that has been slowly fired for two and a half days at a high temperature of over 1,230 degrees Celsius in a climbing kiln.

The unique texture and beautiful blue sheen, created using the salt kiln technique, are truly captivating.

The flowing patterns created by the way the cobalt blue glaze is applied to this tea bowl are so natural and beautiful.

Masatoshi ShimizuThe "Snake-Style Kiln-Fired Tea Bowl" is a tea bowl made using a blend of red clay and porcelain clay from Tanba, and fired in a snake-shaped kiln using red pine, miscellaneous trees, and bamboo.

The clay surface, which has been transformed to a reddish-brown color by the kiln firing process, is covered with a pale yellow ash glaze, and glaze flow can be seen in places.

The highlights of this tea bowl are its glaze pattern and the tension-filled lines.

Nobuhito NakaokaThe "Incense Burner 'Mukyuu'" is a sphere made by joining together semicircles, with a small circular knob and two handles attached.

The blackened, charred areas and the faintly reddish areas, along with the overall form, evoke the image of outer space, and the title "Infinite" speaks of infinite space.

Kouichi Mori (Art critic, Standing Director of the Japan Ceramic Society)